Popular Toys That Will Make You Any Kid’s Favorite

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By Evan Wade

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Keeping track of the things kids like can be time-consuming.

Combine the average child’s attention span with a functionally endless selection of popular toys, and choosing gifts for kids becomes a part-time job—except you don’t get paid and there are a lot of irritating theme songs.

This is what makes blue-chip toy franchises so popular during the holidays: they’re sure bets. That’s a valuable thing when you’re crunched for time but still want a gift that scores major favorite-relative points. Among these popular toys and brands, a few names stick out above the rest.

A Perfect Marriage Everyone loves LEGO, and Minecraft is still a pop culture phenomenon all its own. Given the similarities between the two brands, it was only a matter of time until a line of Minecraft LEGO sets hit shelves—and, as you might’ve guessed, kids can’t get enough of them.

While every set in this line is a guaranteed success, The Village is arguably coolest of all. It features multiple popular enemies (including Enderman and Stone Golem) and a trove of tiny, plastic real estate: houses, crafting areas, and even a vendor tent. The Ender Dragon is another good option for kids who like to display their creations once they’ve finished building.

Plastic Warfare Another enduring name in toys, Nerf, has quietly upped the ante, releasing numerous creative and ambitious products over the last several years. Much of their best work has come from the N-Strike line—and of all N-Strike models, the Elite Rapidstrike CS-18 Blaster is one of the best-known and best-performing.

If you think that talk sounds a little serious for what amounts to a foam dart gun, think again. It’s automatic, with an 18-round dart magazine and a range of up to 75 feet. As part of the N-Strike line, it’ll work with a ton of current and future accessories, like sights, scopes, and shoulder straps.

Best of all, since you’re buying online, there’ll be no weird looks from the cashier when you buy one for yourself, too. Holiday gatherings just got a whole lot more interesting.

Fun From on High Consumer/hobbyist drones have come a long way in a short amount of time. As a leader of this industry, Sky Viper has positioned itself as a near-overnight household name, and its v2400 HD Streaming Video Drone is a testament to why.

In short, the thing rules. The v2400’s strength as a hobbyist device shows in its one-touch controls and automatic features. Whether your novice pilot wants to do a barrel roll or land the device without risk, the slate of computerized helpers can do it with the touch of a button. Its smartphone app also offers tutorials, helping beginners transition to manual controls. Sky Viper may not have all the visibility of some of the popular toys on this list, but your giftee will almost certainly recognize the name when they unwrap their new drone.

Smart Racing Can a line of gifts for kids that has only been around three years be a timeless classic? When it works like this they can.

Imagine a combination racing game/tabletop racetrack, and you’ve got the Hot Wheels A.I. Intelligent Race System in a nutshell. The cars can be controlled by AI or humans, meaning your giftee doesn’t need another person around to play. If you’ve never considered someone racing “the computer” outside a video game, it’s an awe-inspiring sight to behold.

Overdrive tracks are modular, so no matter how it’s built, the AI in the cars will automatically pick up on the configuration, with no tiresome programming needed. This is the rare toy that drops jaws whether it’s kids or adults looking on—don’t miss your chance to impress everyone with your savant-level knowledge of gifts for kids.